Thumbelina
by The Beetle
Summary: Its just a normal day for LEP Captain Holly Short, but this day has a difference today someone wants to take her out and I don't mean on a date. This was written for a challenge more about that inside AH
1. Shiftwork

**A.N I originally wrote this story for a challenge over on the AFC fan fiction site, the challenge was to write a fic that was based on a fairy tale so this one is based on Thumbelina by Hans Christian Anderson. But don't let that put you off and see if you can spot who is who. Also this is my first AH ff so I would like to know what you think of it (constructive critisism welcome)**

**This does not belong to me, the characters and base plots belong to their respective authors, enjoy.**

Thumbelina

By Beetle Juice

**Chapter 1: Shift-work**

**No. 64, King Frond the second Apartment Block, Haven Centre, Underground.**

Apartment blocks in Haven are much like the ones aboveground, they are cramped, cheap (but not as cheap as you might expect them to be) and they number in their masses. The King Frond the second Apartment block or KF2, as it has been named by its permanent residents, was no exception. It was situated just off the main plaza and had been home to many generations of students, LEP officers and other people who did not have enough time (or money) to maintain their own house. Apartment number 46 was where LEP Captain Holly Short could be found at this ungodly hour on the morning of Sunday the 5th of August. She had been transferred to the LEP when Section 8 was no longer needed to control the demon threat. Moving back to the LEP meant working through most of the day seven days a week with almost no holidays; which of course did not do anything to improve Holly's bad mood. She had to work overtime last night but because she had already signed out at reception she wasn't going to be paid for it and now she had to get up at five in the morning to finish off some paperwork that had got handed down to her Retrieval because they were absolutely useless for anything other than putting their own lives in danger.

Holly checked her watch as she grabbed a nettle smoothie from her fridge and ran to the door to pull her boots on. It was 4:55, she had five minutes to get through the plaza door or she wouldn't be paid for half of this shift either. She snatched her badge off the kitchen work surface and ran out the door, only pausing to swipe her card across a small panel in the wall beside her apartment to lock the door. As she jumped down the steps three at a time there was an incessant buzzing in her back pocket.

"Of course I did the damn paperwork!" She shouted into the communicator as soon as she had pulled it out of her pocket.

"Calm down," oops, she had shouted at Foaly "I just rang to make sure you were out of bed, you have three minutes to get here you know?"

"No, of course I don't," Holly ran through the apartment block foyer and out into the crowded street "I'm only going out for my usual early-morning mad dash to Police Plaza."

"Okay, okay," Foaly said defensively "lay off on the sarcasm, that's my department."

"I'm not in the mood for jokes today Foaly, is there anyway you could distract the receptionist? Just give me a few more minutes."

"Sorry Holly, no can do," Foaly considered it for a moment "unless you want me to go to Defcon 1, that should distract them for at least five minutes."

"Like I said Foaly, no jokes."

"Okay, I'm sorry, where are you now?" Holly looked at her surroundings for the first time since she'd left the apartment block.

"I'm on Haven Main Street, about to turn onto the thoroughfare to the Plaza."

"You might want to avoid that one Holly," Foaly consulted the mornings traffic report "the third annual country gnomes rights group meeting is on today and there's three lanes down."

"Okay, I'll take the other way, down Moulander Boulevard and shortcut through that service alley that comes out next to Haven General Hospital."

"That seems clear, but you could always go-"

"Its alright Foaly, I'll take Moulander."

"Okay, but be it on you're head."

"What do you mean by that Foaly?" Holly was still grinning "I knew you were paranoid but not to this extent."

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"Ah, those famous words," Holly was laughing now "I think that you should take a break from mud men movies Foaly, they're getting to you."

"Its not funny Holly, just be careful."

"I will Foaly," Holly rolled her eyes "I risk my life everyday."

"You have two minutes and counting." Holly growled at the centaur and slammed her communicator shut. She was on Moulander now, it was oddly quite but most residential roads were these days. If she really made an effort she would be able to make it to Police Plaza in time but that was if she sprinted for it.

She lengthened her stride and turned a corner onto the alley she had spoken of before, she could see the Plaza at the end of the tunnel-one minute thirty left now. She was going to make it.

"Where do you think you're going," growled a low voice on her right and a hand reached out and grabbed her by the waist.

"Let go of me!" She shouted and reached for her side arm "I'm an LEP officer and I am qualified to use force if necessary.

"You won't be able to girly."

"And why is that?"

"Because you'll be unconscious," Holly felt a hand wind over her mouth and a sharp pain in her neck. The last thing that she saw before she passed out was a huge grin, that of which only a dwarf is capable of.

**E.N So I hope that you liked that atleast a little bit, hopefully I can get everything up soon (-ish)! Please review, I would love to know what you think (and it would be a great Christmas present!) so just hit that little button down there and type a few words!**


	2. Kidnapped

**A.N So I've decided to be nice and give you the next chapter! The next one may not be here for a little while (or atleast until I can find where I put it!) maybe reviews would bring it out of hiding!**

**NMEC's, enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: Kidnapped**

**Location Unknown.**

Holly woke with a brain-splitting headache which was only made worse by the bright fluoro lights that were shining into her eyes from the ceiling. She moved to sit up but found that she was hand-cuffed to the floor with airtight cuffs; this was turning out to be a bad day. She tried turning her head and found that she was able to look around, she deduced that she was in some sort of cell, possibly concrete (this was bringing back happy memories) with no windows and an old-fashioned door with a keyhole. If only she could get her hands free she would be able to use the omni-tool that she had in her back pocket to spring the lock, but that plan was foiled.

Maybe an hour later there was a click at the door and it swung open to reveal a smirking dwarf wearing a sombrero and a grounded sprite-Unix and Bobb.

"Are you having a good time there Captain?" Unix laughed, he seemed to have recovered brilliantly from the loss of his master Turnball.

"Wonderful you kidnapping, blood traitor, lowlife fairies."

"Fancy words for someone in you're position," Bobb scowled "Don't forget you're at our mercy." He glanced towards Unix as if to say _'she is isn't she?' _Unix nodded slightly in answer then continued to speak.

"You may want to know why we chose to kidnap you of all people," Unix didn't wait for her response he just continued as if she had already answered "We chose you because you were the one who ruined our masters plans, you are therefore the one who we shall hold to ransom."

"Oh brilliant!" Holly tried her best to look brazen in the face of danger "that must be the oldest one I the book, tell me, who planned all this-they must be a genius."

"I did," Unix scowled at her again "and calling us dumb won't get you anywhere."

"But I didn't call you d-"

"Shut up," Unix was getting more and more frustrated now "just lay still and shut up."

"Okay dokey."

"If we the demand isn't met within twenty-four hours we'll cut off one of your fingers and send it to them."

"Again, brilliance!"

"Shut up!" Bobb shouted "listen to Unix."

"Thankyou Bobb," Unix turned back to his rude captive "Then for every hour after that we shall cut off a hand, an arm, a foot, a leg till you die, then we shall send them you're body and kidnap someone else." Holly remained silent this time and Unix took this to be a sign of a weakness.

"So we suggest that we co-operate."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Are you deaf? We're going to torture you and chop you up like sushi till the LEP cough up." Holly could tell that Unix was about to explode.

"Why would you want the LEP's phlegm?"

"Enough!" Unix and Bobb turned, slamming the door behind them.

All alone again…..

**1 hour later.**

Holly was dozing off on the concrete floor when a red light started to burn through the roof. The beam of light grew wider and started to run in a circle about a metre wide, Holly realised that it was a laser beam. When there was only a few centimetres of steel left holding the circle there was a strange sucking noise and the metal was pulled away to reveal a hole.

"Are you alright?" A voice floated down from above.

"Yes," Holly whispered back "who are you?"

"Its me," a head appeared in the newly created hole "Trouble."

"How did you find me?" Holly jumped to her feet and looked up at the male elf.

"We're talking about Bobb and Unix here, they're not very careful where they keep their information. Foaly ran a deep scan through an internet connection and found all of their plans on their hard drive; he said it was as easy as gnawing through a lily stem." Trouble threw a rope down for her, "and judging by the size of his teeth it would be no problem for him." Holly walked over to the rope that Trouble had cast down and took it in one hand.

"Tie it round your waist, you know the drill, I'll pull you up with my piton winch." Holly was about to do exactly what Trouble had said when the door was blown wide open and Bobb came charging in, stolen neutrino 5000 raised.

"You're not going anywhere missy." Bobb cocked his gun on stun and shot her once in the arm, he paused to watch her sink to the floor before he raised his gun once, pushed the setting up from stun and shot Trouble high on the shoulder. "You're coming with me miss." Bobb grabbed the unconscious Holly by the lapels and flung her over his shoulder. The stocky dwarf marched, oddly determined, down a short concrete hallway and into a similarly dull room.

"I heard shots," Unix was pacing nervously in a corner "what happened."

"The LEP tried to spring her out, I had to shoot them both."

"You what?" Unix rounded on Bobb "she's useless now, the LEP won't come back for her."

"What are we going to do then," Holly who had just come back around was starting to get a bad feeling about this. Unix studied her for a moment over Bobb's shoulders then started to throw anything that was in the room into a large duffel bag.

"I say we cut our losses and try again next month," Unix grinned at the shocked look on Holly's face "dump her in a field somewhere, hopefully a wolf will find her or something."

"So you're just going to leave me to die on the surface?"

"I don't see why not," Unix laughed.

"Blood traitor," Holly hissed "filthy scum, at least I shall die an elf-you are even worse than the mud people."

"Get her out of here Bobb," Unix turned back to his packing "and make sure you leave her somewhere she's not going to be found."

"Yes sir."

"So you're calling him sir now Bobb, can't you see he's playing for a foo-" Holly started

"Shut up," Unix growled and knocked her out again with an encyclopaedia.

**E.N drum roll I think you know what I'm going to ask so I wont...walks away...**

**runs back**

**REVIEW!**


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